The Kerr County Commissioners' Court officially picked a fight with the Kerrville City Council on Thursday over LGBTQ+ books at the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library, and the losers could be taxpayers.
The first agenda item on Monday's commissioner's court meeting is sponsored by Precinct 4 Commissioner Don Harris to terminate an interlocal agreement between the city and county over the swapping of library and animal control services.
There was a 3-2 majority to end the agreement, yet Precinct 3 Commissioner Jonathan Letz reminded Kerrville residents that the county was obligated to maintain animal services under Texas law.
However, Harris' move comes after the City Council turned back another effort to discipline the library staff over the content in a "Banned Book" display in September. During Tuesday night's meeting, four City Councilmembers said they would agree to have a committee review the collection policy. City Councilmembers Joe Herring, Brenda Hughes and Kim Clarkson, blasted the narrative surrounding the controversy.
In particular, Hughes launched the fiercest counterattack against the library controversy. In return, Precinct 1 Commissioner Harley Belew attacked Hughes for supporting transgender girls playing girls' sports, and Harris' wife sent Hughes a scathing letter questioning her professional tact.
"As watched your tyrranid (sic) yesterday evening in reference to your thoughts on the library situation, I was so taken aback, not by your stance on the issue, (although I do not agree with you), but rather the way you handled yourself as a public servant," Jennifer Harris wrote. "Should it not be apart of your job as a council woman to represent your office and YOURself with etiquette and decorum and not some out-of-control pissed-off teenager!"
Harris' husband, however, hasn't always shown decorum in meetings and uttered "Lets Go Brandon" during a commissioner's court session. For the uninformed, "Lets Go Brandon" is a slur against President Joe Biden that means "Fuck Joe Biden."
The implications of the termination of the agreement are not precisely known, but Harris expressed concerns about the deal even before the controversy erupted in September. If Kerrville had to replicate an animal services department, it could mean a $1 million hit to the city budget.
Of course, this comes after Kerrville residents voted to approve $5 million bond to construct a new animal shelter. County voters in Center Point and other unincorporated areas voted against the bond.
